


"Crossing Paths" mini-series

by irena_adler



Series: Watson [95]
Category: Numb3rs (TV)
Genre: Action, Drabble Sequence, Gen, Triple Drabble, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-03 22:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 4,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16334018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irena_adler/pseuds/irena_adler
Summary: A chance meeting has far-reaching repercussions.





	1. Buzz on the Street

**Buzz on the Street—**

  


LAPD Lt. Gary Walker sipped his beer and watched his quarry.

He didn’t do undercover - he was too easy to spot because he lived and breathed his job. Any cop who didn’t wasn’t committed enough.And this job required complete commitment.

However, tonight he didn’t have to pretend not to be a cop.Twelth Corner Bar was a public place, frequented by blue-collar types.Gary was dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt - just an off-duty cop unwinding with a beer.But a good cop was never off-duty, always kept his eyes and ears open.He’d been hearing buzz all week that a big meeting with some international bigwigs was going to go down.

That’s why Gary was here, drinking disgusting light beer, watching an Asian man tossing back alcohol like it was water.The tall, long-haired Asian had been doing so for an hour now, and didn’t look ready to stop.

The buzz Gary’d heard was that the Asian was _kkangpae_ , a Korean gangster.He was flanked by two black-suited bodyguards, but Gary could tell that the bodyguards were just symbols of prestige.The way the _kkangpae_ moved, sat, _breathed_ said that he could take care of himself.

Finally, the alcohol got to the _kkangpae_.Telling his bodyguards to stay, he headed towards the bathroom, pulling out his cell phone.

It was too good an opportunity to pass up.Maybe Gary could overhear some details about the meeting.

Gary got up and wandered towards the bathroom.He walked through the door and headed for a stall – then realized all the stall doors were open and the bathroom empty.

Not fast enough, he started to turn.Then froze as a gun jabbed his back.

“Why,” said a voice with a heavy Korean accent, “Have you been watching me?”

 


	2. Wrong Side of a Gun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gary faces his worst nightmare.

** Wrong Side of a Gun— ** ** **

“Wasn’t watching you—”

“Against the wall,” the _kkangpae_ growled.

Slowly, trying to look non-threatening, Gary stepped sideways, turned and pressed his back to the wall.He met the _kkangpae_ ’s eyes and found them cold, calculating, inhuman.The _kkangpae_ ’s expression was as empty of light as the stark black suit he wore.Gary had met a lot of ice-hearted bastards in his line of work, but this one sent shivers of fear rippling over his skin.

“Wallet,” the _kkangpae_ demanded, his gun still aimed unwavering at Gary’s heart.

Grimacing, Gary pulled out his wallet.One look at his badge and the _kkangpae_ would shoot him dead.It didn’t matter to the monster in front of him what reason Gary had for watching him, why he’d come into the bathroom.He was a cop and that was enough of a reason.Gary readied himself to jump towards the gun, try to grab it, but knew it would be a futile gesture.This man didn’t need a gun to kill him.After all his years on the front line, Gary Walker was going to die in a grimy bathroom in a rundown bar and no one would even know why.

The _kkangpae_ flipped open the wallet …

… and smiled

… and lowered his gun. 

Gary was too stunned to move.

Abruptly, the _kkangpae_ seemed to blur in front of Gary’s eyes.He straightened up, his shoulders relaxed.The hardness dropped away from his face, making him years younger, the chill left his eyes, the angry line of his jaw softened.If Gary believed in the supernatural, he would say that the man in front of him was a goddamned shape-shifter.

“Lt. Walker,” the transformed man said, his voice warm, musical, all trace of accent gone.“I was hoping it was you.”  


  



	3. Interagency Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gary tries to adjust his perceptions.

**Interagency Introductions-- **

“Don’s told me about you,” the man said.“Hang on a sec?”

_Don?_ Gary stared, still frozen, as the man went into a stall and shut the door.He heard retching and then urinating. _I should leave while I have the chance._

The man came out of the stall, went to the sink and rinsed out his mouth.“I hate doing that,” he said.“But I needed to drink enough that those goons didn’t get suspicious when I went to the bathroom.”

_Goons?_ Gary felt his brain struggling to readjust, even with the few light beers he’d nursed.

The man washed and dried his hands then looked towards the door.With a head motion, he gestured Gary into the farthest corner of the bathroom.Gary followed slowly.

When Gary was close enough, the man put out his hand and said quietly, “Will Stevens, DEA.”

Gary’s mouth fell open.How the hell did a DEA agent get into the position he was, a foreign emissary to a big international meeting in LA?He must be deep undercover.

“Undercover long?” Gary asked, shaking the offered hand.

“Four days,” Will said cheerfully.

Gary’s mouth, which had just begun to close, fell open again.“You did this in four days?”

Will shrugged.“Luck and a good team.”

“And how do you do that _thing_ you do?It was like watching a magic act.”

Will smirked and shrugged again.“Body language, posture, attitude.”

“How do you know me – Wait …” Things began to click together.“You're Don Eppes’s, uh, boyfriend.”

“Yep,”

Gary grinned.“First his brother, the math genius, then you.That man knows how to gather the best around him.”

“Yep,” Will grinned, a bright flash of white.“Now that introductions are over, could we get to the part where you save my life?”


	4. Encoded Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gary gets instructions.

**Encoded Message—** ****

“Your life?”Gary asked, all business.

“Need to send a message,” Will said, getting out a notepad and starting to write.“I can’t call on my phone.It was provided by my host, Mr. Yamamoto, as were my ‘escorts.’I’ve been watched like a hawk since I got off the plane.”

“Yamamoto?As in Masaru Yamamoto, the US _saiko komon_ for _Yamaguchi-gumi_?”

Will nodded, still writing.

Gary shook his head in admiration.Somehow this agent had become the guest of the US senior advisor for the largest _yakuza_ family, the Japanese mafia.And in just four days. _We need to run more joint ops with the DEA._ It did make sense, though.Ethnic Koreans made up a large percentage of the _yakuza_.Gary didn’t have to ask what the DEA’s interest was – the _yakuza_ were responsible for 90% of the crystal meth that flowed into the US via Hawaii.

Will handed him the paper, but it was in some sort of gibberish code.

“Looks like something Charlie would write,” Gary complained.

Will chuckled.“Yeah, it’s a math-based cipher.”His face sobered.“I need you to get this paper to my boss, Jan Sanchez, and tell her a message. _In person._ ”

Gary nodded. _Translation: I trust you because Don does and I trust my team, but I don’t trust anyone else.Wise man._

“Tell her ‘10:30pm.Location Zebra.Surveillance only.Do _not_ raid.’”

“Don’t raid?”

“No, if this meeting is about what I think it is, it’ll be far better to get the information without them knowing it.”

“And ‘Location Zebra’?”

Will grinned again, an expression that came easily to his current face.“Sanchez’ll know what it means.I wouldn’t want you to be tempted.”

“Tempted?”

“To go ahead and grab Yamamoto, figuring one dead DEA agent was worth the trade.”

 


	5. A Second Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gary witnesses another transformation.

****

**A Second Message—**

“Gotta get going.” Will went to the sink and stuck his finger down his throat.He vomited but this time didn’t rinse out his mouth. “Verisimilitude,” he said hoarsely.

Will splashed water onto his face and dried it with a paper towel.“Stay here a few minutes.”His eyes met Gary’s in the mirror and there was a hint of the steel from earlier.“But if you don’t get that message to Sanchez, I’ll probably get taken to Japan and my cover won’t hold up there.”

Gary nodded firmly.Gary must have really impressed Don for him to tell Will enough so Will that would trust him with his life.Or Will was just that desperate.

Will held his eyes for a moment then let out a long breath.“Good.”He tossed the towel into the trash.“And if you see Don, tell him …” A look of intense longing flashed across Will’s face, making Gary’s heart clench in sympathy.Then it was gone.He gave Gary a crooked smile.“Tell him I’ll see him soon.”

Gary nodded again, embarrassed by the naked emotion from the other agent.

“Now,” Will pulled out his phone.“Gotta get into a fight with my girlfriend.”

He winked at Gary then closed his eyes.He shuddered, an odd movement, like shrugging on a coat.His shoulders tensed, hunched.Lines grew around his eyes, on his forehead, along his jaw.

Will opened his eyes and Gary took an involuntary step back.

The _kkangpae_ stood in front of him again.

The _kkangpae_ gave him a short nod.He pressed a button on the phone and was soon arguing in Korean with a woman.He shoved open the bathroom door and left.

Gary stared at the door, tried to catch his breath, and wished he still smoked.

 


	6. Delivering the Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gary delivers the first set of messages.

**Delivering the Note—** ****

When Gary opened the door to the DEA office, he was glad he’d taken the time to change into his uniform.Otherwise he might look like the scum that inhabited this place.

The faces that turned to him looked equally contemptuous of his uniform.Gary stuck out his chin and put a hand on his sidearm.

_Easy, Walker.These reprobates placed an agent in Yamamoto’s meeting in just four days._ Gary forced himself to relax, calling out, “I’m looking for Jan Sanchez.”

A small woman turned from a whiteboard and sized him up.“I’m Sanchez.”

“Got a message for you,” Gary said.

Sanchez’s eyebrows rose.“And you are?”

“Lieutenant Gary Walker, LAPD, Organized Crime Unit.”

“The message?”

Gary pulled out the sheet of notepaper.“It’s from Will Stevens.”

The atmosphere in the room immediately changed and the nearest DEA agent snatched the paper from Gary’s hand.

“It’s from Will,” the man confirmed tightly.

“Where is he?” Sanchez demanded, striding across the office.“Is he okay?”

“He’s okay,” Gary said.“I met him at a bar.”

“A bar?” Sanchez echoed skeptically.

“Twelfth Street Bar,” Gary said.“He went to the bathroom without his bodyguards and I followed him.”

“Like that?” Sanchez asked, gesturing towards his uniform.

“No, Ma’am,” Gary snapped. “In plainclothes.He also gave me a message for you personally.”

“Which is?”

“‘10:30pm.Location Zebra.Surveillance only.Don’t raid.’”

While Sanchez digested this, Gary added, “He said they’re gonna take him to Japan.”

Sanchez’s eyes widened.“Shit.”

Gary nodded.

“So he isn’t gonna let us raid and pull him out and we can’t leave him there because it’s a death sentence.”

“A _death_ sentence?”

Running a hand through her short hair, Sanchez suddenly looked old and tired.“Even with all he’s got going, the man still thinks he’s disposable ...”

 


	7. Lines of Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanchez develops a plan.

**Lines of Trust—** ****

“So,” Sanchez said briskly, covering her moment of weakness.“Why should I trust you?”

“Because I’m a cop?” Gary snapped.

Sanchez just raised her eyebrows and waited.

Gary grunted in annoyance. “Okay, so Will trusted me because I’ve worked with his boyfriend a lot of times.And he must have told Will about me.”

“Don?” Sanchez said with a grin.“He’s one of ours, pretty much.I’ll call and verify with him.His word is as good as Will’s.”

Gary pointedly looked at the phone but Sanchez had moved on.“How the Hell are we going to get Will out of this?”

“What about …” the agent with Will’s note said, pointing to a part of the coded scrawl.

Sanchez eyed it then snapped, “You serious?”

“You have a better idea?”

Sanchez growled under her breath.

“Care to fill me in?” Gary asked impatiently.

Sanchez drummed her fingers on a nearby desk for a moment before saying, “We can’t grab Will before the meeting because we don’t know where he is.We can’t grab him _at_ the meeting because he’d probably get killed in the crossfire.Besides, he thinks whatever he’s gonna learn at the meeting is important enough to let Yamamoto stroll out of there untouched.And if we grab Will after the meeting, Yamamoto will know the info’s been compromised.But if we let Yamamoto take him to Japan, Will’s as good as dead.”

Gary grimaced.He was not about to tell Don that his boyfriend’s boss was ordering flowers for his funeral.“Well, what are you going to do about it?You can’t just let him get on that plane.”

Sanchez’s eyes flashed with a feral gleam that reminded him of Will.“If he gets on that plane, he’s dead.So we’ll just have to kill him first.”


	8. Second Message Delivered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gary talks to Don.

**Second Message Delivered—  
** ****

 

“Eppes,” Gary called as he entered the busy FBI office.

“Hey,” Don said, gesturing Gary to walk with him.“What’s up?”

“Talked to your boy yesterday.”

“Charlie bugging you again?” Don asked.

“Not Charlie, Will.”

Don stopped cold, his face going white.“He’s okay?”

“He’s okay, he’s fine.”

“Why were you—?”

“Crossed paths on the same case – him coming from the drugs side, me from the organized crime side.”

Don gripped Gary’s arm.“He’s okay?”

“Yes, he’s okay,” Gary said firmly, ignoring the difficulties of Will’s situation.He smiled crookedly.“In fact, I was quite impressed.”

“Oh?”

“He should have been an actor, he had me convinced he was about to kill me.”

Don’s lips quirked.“Maybe he _was_ about to kill you.”

Gary grimaced.“Um, yeah.Good thing he needed me to pass a message on to his boss.”

“He needed …” Don frowned.“Has something gone wrong with his op?”

“Don’t know,” Gary said.“But he had a message for you, too.”

“What?”

“That he’d see you soon.”

Don smiled.“Now, that’s good news.”

Gary hesitated, but Don deserved to know.“You aren’t going to be as happy when you hear Sanchez’s plan to get him home.”


	9. One Small Window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don and Sanchez have a heated discussion.

**One Small Window—** ****  


Gary leaned against a desk in the DEA office and watched Sanchez and Don go toe-to-toe.

Don snapped, “I can’t count – _Charlie_ can’t count how many things could go wrong with this plan of yours.”

“Rogers is an excellent shot.”

“Ian _Edgerton_ isn’t a good enough shot for that.”

Sanchez folded her arms.Her voice had remained calm, considering that Don was practically shouting in her face.“Do you have any better ideas?”

Don’s bravado faded and he took a step back.Gary had watched him pour over the translation of Will’s note, combing it for any other possibilities.The only option that Will had given them, the only point where he could _perhaps_ be extracted, was at the airport after the meeting.A small notation showed the airport – Van Nuys – and the name on the charter flight – Malone International.Gary was impressed that Will had found out that much.But everything both Gary and the DEA knew about Yamamoto said that he’d leave the country as soon as the meeting was over, off to Japan to report in person to his boss.So that gave them a very small window of time, but it was a window.A window that Sanchez planned to smash open.

Don slumped against the wall behind him, putting his face in his hands.“Damn him,” he groaned into his hands.“Damn him, damn him, god _damn_ him!” With the last words, Don turned and rammed his fist into the wall.

Luckily, it was a flimsy wall, and it mostly gave under Don’s hand.The crunch Gary heard was _probably_ the wall.

Silence filled the DEA office as Don leaned his forehead against the wall, panting heavily.

Finally, Don looked up.His face was dark, determined, hard.“At least, let me make a phone call.”


	10. Hired Gun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gary tries to understand how Don got the best.

**Hired Gun—** ****  
  


Gary wasn’t easily impressed, but he’d been impressed repeatedly in the last 24 hours.First with Will’s shape-shifting act, then with the DEA team’s skills and nerve, and then with Don’s driven intensity.Now here Gary was, laying on a rooftop at the Van Nuys Airport next to one of the country’s top snipers, and he expected to be impressed again.He didn’t believe the plan would actually _succeed_ , but it would be impressive that they even tried.

“So Don just called and you came?” Gary asked. 

“Mm-hmm,” Edgerton said, adjusting his rifle.

“Came ‘cross country in less than 12 hours.Just like that.” 

Edgerton turned to look at him.“If Don had called you and asked you to save his life, would you?”

“Well, yes.” 

“That’s what he did, so here I am.”

“Do you even know Will?” 

“No,” Edgerton replied.

“And?” Gary pushed, trying to figure out what drove this sniper and what hold Don had over him. 

Edgerton gave him an annoyed look.“I don’t know what you’re trying to get at.Why are _you_ here?Because Will needed you and now you’re involved.I’m here because there are very few people that can do what needs to be done.Don’s a friend of mine.I don’t have that many of those.”

“But it’s not _Don’s_ life.” 

Edgerton raised his eyebrows.“Don’t you believe in love, Lieutenant Walker?”

“Uh,” Gary grimaced.“Been married three times, and divorced just as many.” 

“Ah, an eternal optimist.I’ve never met Will, but by all accounts, if your first marriage had been like Don and Will’s relationship, there never would have been need for a second.It _is_ Don’s life that I’m trying to save.”

Gary blinked and Edgerton turned back to his rifle. 

“Now, be quiet.It’s almost show time.”


	11. Last Breath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will takes the final walk.

**Last Breath –** ****

   
Will made himself stroll across the tarmac, fighting his body’s attempts to show his internal tension.Yamamoto had grown suspicious with Will’s increasingly obvious maneuvers to avoid going to Japan, so Will had been forced to back off and pretend anticipation.

No surprise Yamamoto was jumpy, because what Will now knew would make the career of any three DEA agents.Connections, sources, distribution points – the whole game plan for the next year.If he’d been able to get this info to Sanchez, they would’ve had the opportunity to put a serious dent in the Hawaii meth pipeline.But Will hadn’t gotten anything out since Walker.

As he walked towards the charter plane, he was flanked by his ‘bodyguards,’ as if Yamamoto expected him to bolt.The door to the airplane loomed in front of him, like the maw of an animal. _It would be easier if it was._ He wondered if they would allow him _hara-kiri_.But that was for honorable death, and he wouldn’t be considered honorable.

Will inhaled deeply, pulling the night air of California into his lungs.No matter that this air was thick with aviation fuel and exhaust.It was the air of freedom, the air of home, the air of Don.Will sent a silent apology to Don, wishing he’d gotten one more chance to tell him he loved him.He’d almost sent that message through Walker, but hadn’t been able to say it.It was too final.

They’d reached the narrow stairs to the plane.One of his bodyguards went ahead of him and Will turned to the side, to get one last breath of air.

The night exploded into sound.Bullets smashed into his chest and head.Pain and darkness swallowed him.

He didn’t fight it.

He’d either wake up or he wouldn’t.

 


	12. On the Sidelines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don is forced to watch.

**On the Sidelines –** ****

Don could only watch.

He’d done what he could – called in Edgerton for the trickier shot, got Charlie to check the calculations on muzzle velocity, blood loss, and dart insertion.

Now he crouched next to Sanchez in an airport warehouse, gripping his gun so tight it grooved his palm, and waited while other people did their jobs. He’d never been good at that.

When Will stepped onto the tarmac, Don’s heart did an odd sideways skip.It was Will, alive, but something was subtly wrong with how he moved, how he held himself.Even his face seemed different. _So this is Will undercover._ Don had listened skeptically to Gary’s description of Will’s transformation, but now he understood.

Will and his escort began to walk towards the small plane.Don held his breath, expecting shots.But Will’s escort was blocking the sight lines, their bodies between Will and both snipers.

Don couldn’t suppress a frustrated growl as Will and his escort strolled towards the point of no return.

Sanchez murmured, “C’mon, C’mon.”

Don imagined he could hear the track of sights, the shift of clothing and gear as each sniper adjusted, following Will’s progression across the tarmac.

They reached the stairs to the plane.Don tensed, ready to run out the door, scream, shoot the plane, anything to stop it from taking off with Will inside.

At the foot of the stairs, one of the bodyguards was forced to go ahead up the narrow stairs.Will paused and turned, his face shifting to the familiar, as if he was saying goodbye.

_No …_

A shot from Don’s right.A bullet slammed into Will’s chest and he staggered back.Almost simultaneously, another bullet.

And for the second time in six months, Don could only watch as Will got shot in the head.

 


	13. Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moment in time.

 

 

 **Moment—** ****

Shouts, guns firing.Sanchez’s grip on Don’s forearm.Don holding himself still with all his strength.Will’s body sagging, falling, coming to rest on the tarmac.Blood seeping from his head.

Agent Martinez shouting in Korean – _For my sister’s murder!_

One guard shooting back, shoving Yamamoto up the stairs.

Another guard looking around, checking Will’s pulse.Finding none.

Guard pushing the body aside, climbing into the plane.Plane door shutting, engines increasing.

Sanchez’s hand tightening on his forearm.Plane moving away from the stairs, creeping away from the unmoving body.

Silence.Not even the dripping of blood to break it.

 


	14. Compression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don hurries.

 

 **Compression—** ****

As soon as Sanchez released him, Don slammed open the door and sprinted across the tarmac.

_“A head shot would be most effective.Something fast and bloody to distract the guards from the chest shot.”_

Don’s feet pounded, echoing the rush of blood in his ears.

_“Three to five minutes to brain death is normal, but it’s a matter of seconds if the lungs have been emptied from an impact.”_

Don reached Will far ahead of the EMTs.He yanked the dart with the knock-down drug from Will’s chest and flung it aside.

_“He’ll only have the barest moment before he needs CPR.The drug isn’t supposed to be used in this high of a dose, but it needs to take immediate effect.”_

He tilted Will’s head up, gave two rescue breaths, then moved to chest compressions.

“ _Count aloud as you compress 30 times.”_

“Breathe, dammit!” Don growled as he jammed the heel of his hand into Will’s chest, over and over.

The first EMT reached Will, shoved Don aside, and slapped a defibrillator on Will’s chest.A second EMT took over the rescue breathing, using a resuscitation bag.The defibrillator beeped and buzzed and Will’s body jumped.

The EMT then moved the defibrillator and began another round of chest compressions.She frowned, poked buttons on the defibrillator and ran it again.

Will arched, sucked in air, began to cough.He gave a deep groan, a beautiful sound, and opened his eyes.

He tried to push the resuscitation mask aside, but the EMTs were firm.While they continued to work on him, his eyes shifted sideways and lit on Don.They widened then looked confused.

Finally, the EMT removed the mask and Will’s head turned towards Don.

“Hey babe,” Will said with a tired smile.“What are you doing here?”

 


	15. Commendations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will is debriefed.

 

**Commendations— **

Don sat by Will’s hospital bed with a heavy sense of déjà vu.At least this time Will was awake and talking.Will was under observation until the drug fully left his system and they were sure he’d taken no lasting damage.He did sport a massive bruise where the dart had pierced his chest. That would heal but he would be keeping a small head scar to match his older one.

Don tried to smile as Will received congratulations from his DEA team.Will had just spent an hour relaying detailed information to his coworkers.Sanchez and the others were practically drooling over the havoc they could wreak on the Hawaii meth pipeline.Sanchez mentioned commendations, but Don couldn’t find it in himself to care.

Edgerton was next, and Will sat up straighter to shake his hand.

“Damn impressive shot,” Will said.“Just grazing the scalp, enough to bleed but not crack my skull, and I was even turning my head!”

Edgerton smiled widely.“Might make me Number One at last.”

“Let me know if you need a smiley face from the DEA.”

Edgerton chuckled.“You’re an Eppes, alright.”

Don shook Edgerton’s hand firmly.“Thanks, Ian.”

“Happy to help,” Edgerton said.

As Gary entered the room, Edgerton winked and left.

“Glad to see you in one piece,” Gary said gruffly.“Hope we never meet like that again.Might make me swear off light beer!”

“Probably wise,” Will smiled.“And thanks.”

“You’re very lucky,” Gary said, in a way that made it clear that he was also talking about Don at his side.

“Yeah,” Will said softly.

Gary left and they were alone for the first time.

Before Don could speak, Will said, “You know that second career your mom mentioned?I think it’s time I looked into that.”

 


	16. New Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family wants answers.

 

 **New Path—** ****

Don was leaning against the bed, just sitting quietly with Will, when the lynch party stormed in.

“William, you’re back in the hospital?” Alan demanded.“Didn’t you get enough last time?”

“Damn,” Colby said, “Another head shot?Do you have a death wish?”

“Even Edgerton could have messed that up,” David agreed.

“Is Ian still here?” Charlie asked and Colby rolled his eyes.

“I mean, I’m glad you’re okay,” Charlie said quickly.

“Unka Will,” Nena said, her face cross.“I don’t like hospitals.Stop gettin’ shot!”

Don tensed, ready to explain that it wasn’t _Will’s_ idea to get shot, but Will spoke first.

“Hi everybody,” Will said with a smile.“In reverse order – Nena, I don’t like hospitals either and plan to leave very soon.Charlie, I’m glad I’m okay, too, and I think Ian’s still around.David, I’m trying not to think about how tricky the shot was.Colby, no death wish.And Alan, yes, I’ve had enough.In fact, I’m getting out of undercover work.”

Don had the satisfaction of seeing his whole family silenced at once, then the questions began again.

Will held up his hand at the verbal barrage.“Not really out of undercover work, but mostly. Sanchez has been after me for a while to teach undercover skills, and, while I don’t know how good I’ll be at it, I’m gonna give it a shot.”He grinned.“No pun intended.”

“Teaching?” Alan said eagerly.“That’s great!”

“At least until I’m cleared for fieldwork again,” Will replied.

Don grumbled under his breath and Will said quickly, “I’ll give it a real go, I promise!”

“You better,” Don snapped.

“I think you’ll be a good teacher,” Charlie said.

“Yeah?” Will asked.

“Yeah,” Alan said wryly.“Having you for a son-in-law has certainly been an education for me.”

 


	17. Paths Recrossed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gary wants in.

**Paths Recrossed—** ****

Two weeks after Will had been shot, Gary walked back into the DEA office.

The hum of conversation faded as everyone turned to look at him.

Will stood up and shook Gary’s hand.“Lt. Walker, what can we do for you?”

“Well,” Gary said, “I was hoping I could do something for you.”

“You already did, remember?” Will said, smiling crookedly.Behind Will, Sanchez nodded in agreement.

“Look,” Gary said.“I’ll just say this straight.I know that Stevens got a ton of intel from that meeting.Intel that _hasn’t_ hit my desk in the Organized Crime Unit, so I’m guessing that you’re keeping it tight.Okay, I understand that.If Yamamoto finds out that you have it, it will be worthless.”  


Will and Sanchez simply looked at him.

Gary plowed on, “But I want to bring down Masaru Yamamoto so bad it makes my teeth ache.I’ve been after him since he was just a brutal punk, long before he became _saiko komon_. I _know_ Yamamoto.I can help you figure out what way he’ll jump when you start undercutting his organization.”

Sanchez met Will’s eyes then asked, “You?LAPD Organized Crime?”

“No, just me.”Gary spread his hands.“I know it’s unusual.But I’ve got enough pull to choose where I work and who I work with.”He shrugged.“Hey, I learned that math can solve crimes, I can adapt.I’m all for results, not looks.”

Slowly, Sanchez’s lips curved upwards.“Good.Because if you work here in your uniform, you’ll ruin our reputation.”

Gary smiled back.“So, I’ll wear something more appropriate and start tomorrow?”

Sanchez nodded and Gary turned to go before she changed her mind.

“But Walker?” Will said.

Gary turned back to find Will giving him a wicked grin.“You are _never_ going undercover.”

 

 

 


End file.
